Monday, May 30, 2016

Jom
makan! Dine on Sajian Nostalgia Kampung
at Spring Garden Restaurant at
Putrajaya this month set with a lovely view of a lake. Diners are in for an
array of delicious dishes that starts the moment the sun sets. Enjoy the view
while dining in the cool dining room or simply feast alfresco and relish Mother
Nature by the lake side.

Sajian Nostalgia Kampung starts 8 June to 1 July 2016 at Spring Garden Chinese Restaurant at
Putrajaya. Under the Tai Thong Group, Spring Garden is pork free and signatures
include lots of seafood dishes cooked in various cuisine styles of Chinese,
Malay and Thai.

Start
the buffet with hot off the grill live station of Gerai Bakar-Bakaran filled with Ketam, Sotong Sumbat, Ikan Pari, Ikan Kembung Sumbat Sambal, Ikan Tilapia,
Satay Ayam and Daging. The
chargrilled meat and seafood goes well with the various Sambal available.

Hot
buffet warmers are filled with lots of Malay dishes, perfect for the time of
the year, such as Nasi Briyani with Acar
Sayur, Rendang Daging, Ayam Madu Mamak, Kari Kepala Ikan and Telur Masak Lemak.

There’s
also a delicious Ayam Goreng Pedas,
freshly fried, as well as Paru Paru
Goreng Kunyit and Udang Goreng
Gandum. I went back for more helpings of the fried chicken and fried oat
prawns simply because these were so yummy.

Besides
the array of scrumptious Malay dishes, there is also some Dim Sum available
such as Siew Mai, Fish Ball, Char Siew
Bao and Beancurd Roll. I also
had several helpings of this because the dim sums are delicious!

If
you need your carbs, there is also Mee
and Kuey Teow Goreng, as well as Nasi Goreng Cina.

For
lighter finish, there is Tauhu Sumbat
and Rojak Buah-Buahan.

There’s
plenty of sweets to end the meal with icy treats of Ais Kacang, Lin Chi Kang, Air Bandung Selasih and Soya Cincau.

Sunday, May 29, 2016

There
are plenty of All-You-Can-Eat out
there but this one tops the cake. Pullman
Kuala Lumpur City Centre Hotel & Residences’ Chinese restaurant Tai Zi Heen has always been a crowd
favorite spot when it comes to fine Chinese cuisine. Renown for stylish
creations of modern Chinese dishes reflecting flavours of Cantonese Cuisine,
the restaurant is beautifully elegant in its décor.

The
pork free Tai Zi Heen’s Chinese Head
Chef Michael Wong is aiming for lux when he created the All-You-Can-Eat Dinner menu. Filled with an epicurean’s variety of
dishes, there is plenty for every diner of all ages with its selections of
Appetizer, Dim Sum, Soup, Meat, Seafood, Poultry, Vegetables, Desserts and
more. To enjoy more dishes, do bring a few foodies to sample more varieties on
the menu.

Priced
at RM120 nett per adult, our All-You-Can-Eat
Dinner menu kicked off with appetizers and dim sums. From light and
refreshing crisp greens of Salad of
Fresh Organic Field Greens with Sesame Dressing that whet our appetite for
more to the superb Crispy Fried Lobster
Spring Roll with Mango Chilli Dip, glorious chunks of lobster with sweet
prawn meat encased in crispy thin spring roll wrapper to be dunk into sweet and
fruity mango sauce.

Dim
Sum is one of my favorite and Tai Zi
Heen’s little morsels are pretty divine in flavours and textures. From the
king of dim sum of Siew Mai of Chicken,
Shrimp and Mushroom Dumplings Topped with Scallops to Steamed Truffles Pearl Balls Fillet with Prawn, Chicken, Carrot and Mushroom
and more, the dumplings are plump and juicy with fine savory flavours.

Even
the Loh Mai Kai is made more lavish with their version of Glutinous Rice with Chicken, Mushroom, BBQ Chicken & Abalone as
well as their pan-seared bao of Chicken Buns with Black Pepper-Seared Foie
Gras. The bun is fluffy as well as crisp on one side and has a unique and
tasty filling of lightly peppered and creamy filling.

Moving
on to soups, we couldn’t resist and tried all the three available luxurious
soups. Unlimited servings of soups, one simply must try them all. Starting with
the delicate supreme broth from Braised Bird’s
Nest Soup with Fish Maw and Alaskan Crab Meat and its sweet crab flesh, the
lightly gelatinous strands of bird’s nest not only gave the soup a lovely textural
treat but has the lovely benefits of beauty nutrition too.

There
is the Braised Superior Broth with
Seafood and Shredded Chicken, another soup that is so deliciously
comforting with silky smooth broth and small chunks of seafood and meat. For
those who prefer a healthy and nutritious soup, opt for the soothing and robust
flavours of Double-Boiled Chicken Consommé
with Lotus Root, Dried Oysters and Sun Dried Scallops.

Moving
on to the seafood section, our first dish of Crispy Soft Shell Crab Tossed with Buttered Oats, Garlic, Curry Leaves
and Chilies was crispy and tasty. Lots of aromatics and light spicy
flavours on the soft shell crab is so yummy.

Then
there is the soft and caramelized Baked
Salmon Fillets with Honey and Onion Rings. The lightly smoky and deep rich
sweetness of the salmon is sublime while the sweet onions added a delicate
textural component to the fish. A Must-Order!

Even
bean curd is made lux with the addition of the highly prized mollusk in Braised Sliced Abalone and Morel Mushrooms
with Homemade Organic Bean Curd. The house made bean curd alone is worthy
of an order with its utterly delicate and velvety texture with a layer of
creamy spinach. Paired with expensive abalone slices and morel mushrooms on a
bed of crisp broccoli, it was also a favorite of our table of foodies that
evening.

More
seafood with the robust and garlicky notes in the Baked Green Mussels with Garlic Mayonnaise hit our palate with much
aromatic and appetizing notes.

From
the poultry menu, we opted for the Crispy
Hong Kong-Style Pik Fong Tong Boneless Chicken and Szechuan-Style Deep-Fried Crispy Chicken Roll. The first dish was
very aromatic with lots of garlic, shallot, spring onions and chili notes. The
dish is very moreish and makes me want to keep eating it. The next dish was
also just as good if not better. Pretty in presentation, the slices of chicken
roll is paired with a mouth-tingling kick of heat from the Sezchuan pepper. Go
easy on the chili if you can’t take the heat but if you love spicy food, the
dish is super shiok…

Lamb
lovers will definitely enjoy the Braised
Lamb Rack with Mongolian Tomato Sauce and Traditional Zhagui Fritters. Chef
Wong has cleverly marinated the lamb till tender and sauced it up with a
delicious sweet, savory and umami sauce. The bits of charred meat and fat is unctuously
yummy. There is also the Wok-Seared
Australian Beef Tenderloin with Asparagus, Fresh Shimeiji Mushrooms and Black
Pepper Sauce which was tender, piquantly tasty and juicy.

After
all the heavy seafood and meat, we decided to enjoy some greens of Braised Young Yen Choy and Shredded Fish in
a Clear Broth. Simple but satisfying, it’s a great dish of tender spinach
shoots cooked in a tasty broth with small pieces of fish, century egg and
salted egg.

We
got a little greedy and decided to try all their desserts since most of us has
a sweet tooth. From the Freshly Sliced
Seasonal Fruits to soothing classic sweet broth of Hot Sweetened Walnut Cream with Tong Yuen, it was a nice treat of
hot and cold desserts.

Then
there’s the King of fruit in the pale parcels of Chilled Durian Pancakes that others raved about as I enjoyed the
creamy and silky Chocolate Tartlets
Filled with Avocado and Cream very much.

Classic
Chilled Mango Pudding Served with
Passion Fruit Coulis is not just pretty but so mouthwatering with bold
fruity and sweet mango flavours balanced up by the tangy passion fruit sauce.

The
dessert that left the evening so memorable was Chef Wong’s unique Salted Egg Ice Cream with Red Bean Paste.
I have never had a salted egg ice cream but this one, despite it being slightly
sandy, was super scrumptious with its mix of savory and sweet flavours. I would
love to enjoy this again and kudos to Chef Wong for this creative dessert!!

Tai Zi Heen All You Can Eat Dinner is available daily, 6:30pm to 10:30pm.
Priced at RM120 nett per adult and RM60 nett for children between age 6-12